As a hunter I am accustomed to the practice of hanging trophies -- pictures,
antlers or otherwise -- from the walls of my home. But a trophy is not
always what it seems. It is not always the largest head or the heaviest
beast but rather they are the creatures that have challenged me the most
-- either physically or mentally -- thus leaving an indelible impression
in my memory.

Indeed, for me trophies come in all shapes and sizes. For example --
I have a ragged set of average sized moose antlers hanging in the entry
way of my home that I am especially proud of -- not because of their size
(which is not impressive to begin with) but because of the patience and
the time it took to harvest the animal and the major trials and tribulations
I endured while getting the meat out of the bush.

And before I am too old to go afield any more I will see one more trophy
hang from the walls of my home. I have a special place reserved over the
mantle of my wood stove for Canada's Firearms Act. For now it is stored
neatly away in my filing cabinet but when the law is dead and gone I will
remove the giant tomb from its resting place and put it in a frame on
the wall. A plaque beneath it will read "Here Lies Tyranny -- Slain
at Last."

Fortunately there is ample evidence to suggest that the time for me to
purchase the plaque and dust off the frame is not so far away. Take for
example the British Columbia Firearms Center's recent decision to cut
back on staff and hours. What used to be an 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM operation
now runs regular business hours, is short staffed and has certain departments
closed or running a skeleton crew on weekends.

Given that the deadline to register all firearms in Canada is quickly
approaching and given that hundreds of thousands of applicants have thus
far not received their licenses (and are therefore instant criminals purely
of the government's making) let alone begun registering their guns we
can only assume one thing: the end is near. In fact, when I recently questioned
one employee of the center about the security of her job her response
was less than enthusiastic. All she could say was she "couldn't talk
about it".

Plagued with computer problems (constant breakdowns), a growing work
load made almost purely of new firearms being brought into the country
and being sold in Canadian businesses and the growing realization that
Canadians -- despite the government's propaganda -- are not complying
with the law as expected moral seems to be low at our local center for
people control.

By the governments own estimates some 300,000 gun owners out of 2.8 million
have not applied for licenses. These numbers -- which even by the governments
earlier studies are terribly low [some studies show there may be as many
as five to seven million gun owners in Canada... for you Americans that's
roughly 17 to 25 percent of our population] -- reveal a wonderful reality:
large percentages of Canadians will not comply with the Liberal's evil
laws.

But even more interesting is the affect this exercise has had on many
Canadian's view of the law itself. Gone are the days of blind obedience
and timidity before the state. Bill C-68 has been a wake up call for the
people of Canada (particularly rural residents) and has helped to spawn
such things as separatist movements in the west, calls for political reform
in Ottawa and a return to our tradition of respect for individuals and
their property.

It is true that C-68 has done what no other law could have -- it has
created a Canadian counter culture and has contributed -- to the denial
and perhaps the astonishment of the Liberal establishment -- to the Americanization
of our society itself.

And so I drink a toast -- to the beginning of the end. I don't know about
you but it can't come soon enough for me.

The
trouble with Canadians by Scott Carpenter (July 3, 2000)
Many Canadians will agree that there is a need for some gun control,
says Scott Carpenter, because they've never fully thought out the issue
of what a right really is

A
Canadian first by Scott Carpenter (June 19, 2000)
Things are going badly for Canada's gun registry agency, says Scott
Carpenter. While that's that good, even better is that the average Canadian
appears to be giving the system the raspberry